Yes you read that right and this is not a joke! I actually won for my healthcare premiums paid, for an entire year!

How would you feel if you won your healthcare premiums paid for an entire year? Great, right? Super stoked about it, right?

HA, well I am sure no exception to that rule, because who doesn’t enjoy free money in any form?

Also, in my debt freedom quest, it makes for more money to throw at the debt to pay it off sooner!

I work for DaVita – in acute care, which the hospital inpatient services division. DaVita is a very large company, actually world wide. One of the company mottos is to be the employer of choice and they sure do a great job at it.

There are many awards throughout the company, but this one particular award, called the “WE ARE WELL” award, demonstrates the value of taking charge of your own health.

THE BEST BOSS EVER

My sweet boss actually told me about the award and knowing my journey, she encouraged me to apply for it. I wrote a little about my keto journey and my reasons. Some would call this your “why”.

I have 3 grandbabies (and counting) and for that reason, among a few others – like just for me (you can call it selfish if you want), for my kids (because I intend to live to at least 120yrs), so be it!

So I submit the story and the application and HOLY COW!! I won!!

I challenge you to take charge of your health today! There is no time like the present to just…..

START HERE, GO ANYWHERE!

DISCLAIMER: This site may contain affiliate links which may be monetized at no cost to you, For instance, if you link through to Amazon, I may get a kick back for it, but it will in no way change the original cost of any item. So if you happen to shop through my links, thanks in advance for your support! ~Amanda

I’m excited about the videos that Brad and I have been working on. I told him that I didn’t care if no one enjoyed the videos but me. I have been, and will continue to, appreciate them!

There is no real list of essentials for video equipment, but I can tell you what we have used. I can also say that you can create videos on a small budget, whether it be for fun, or if you have hopes for it to explode.

Just a side note, I am going to say that I absolutely HATE the Gimbal. It seems like it goes haywire and is squirrely. Flipping around like a hamster in the wheel. Maybe it is because I haven’t used it a lot.

But for the record, probably greater than 90% of our entire family video was shot with the iphone 6s.

Then, when we took the Jeep to New Mexico, we filmed everyday to have travel video content. A couple of our friends came along and had a GoPro Hero 7. We were VERY impressed with how stable the footage was, no matter where we placed it.

I had bought a phone kit dash mount from Amazon to put in the cubby on our dash. The camera mount held the GoPro nicely and the footage was not shaky. We also used a suction cup mount on the outside of the window of the Jeep and the film product was 4K resolution, again very stable.

WHERE DO I BEGIN?

I have said and continue to say – start here, go anywhere. Figure out where you are in your journey, and what you want the end result to be. Steven Covey wrote a book called – “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“. The second thing he talks about is to begin with the end in mind.

I heard someone recently talking about a friend visiting Will Smith. He had a window wall with sticky notes all over it. The friend asked what all of it meant and why? Will Smith went on to tell him that it was scenes to his next movie.

Bewildered, his friend asked, “how in the world to you know where to place it all or the order?”

Will said, “oh that part’s easy! I start with the final scene and work backwards!”

My daughter, Savannah, is a make up artist AND she is really good! She has made a few videos with nothing more than her iPhone and iMovie. Check her stuff out here.

THE BUDGET

So if you’re looking for video equipment on a dime or if your budget is more non-existent, get that phone out and get going! Then budget some money and little by little add to your collection, build as you go.

Good luck! I hope to see your content out there soon!

This site may contain affiliate links which may be monetized at no cost to you, For instance, if you link through to Amazon, I may get a kick back for it, but it will in no way change the original cost of any item. So if you happen to shop through my links, thanks in advance for your support! ~Amanda

Of all the dumb things I have done in my life, carrying a balance on a credit card and paying interest is at the top of the list! I have been working on paying down credit card debt. But, as any venture advances, inevitably something comes up at some point or another, (and usually out of nowhere), that “needs” my help. Oh the curse of being such a giving person!

(I’m actually kidding about the giving part being a curse, but on a serious note, I cannot help everyone. I also can’t help to my own detriment AND if I am helping someone else by using a credit card that I am trying to pay off – well DUH, I am not helping them by hurting myself!)

SOMEONE TELL ME THAT TINKERBELL ISN’T THE ONLY FAIRY THAT HAS DONE SOMETHING DUMB!

John needs Tinkerbell’s help and after all, John is one of her favorite Darlings, SO being the amazing Tinkerbell fairy that she is, what does she do? Finds her pixie dust, knowing that she will sprinkle a little bit of magic around! Tinkerbell goes to her fairy dust (spreadsheet), full of fairy dust (available credit), and trusts that she can figure this out, because this is what fairies do! They have learned over the years how to bibbidi-bobbidi-boo from the best Fairy Godmother out there! Did you see the transformation she did to Cinderella? Amazing, right?!

As she continues going through the fairy dust bag (spreadsheet) to see how much magic can be strews about, she notices that one of the fairy dust makers (credit card companies) has added more fairy dust, but failed to inform her. So imagine the surprise when she realizes there is more available magic in the bag.

Tink had been working on making this list of everything in the bag (my spreadsheet was kind of like the one Dave Ramsey calls the Debt Snowball. Dave suggests using this method to pay down debt in a lowest balance to highest balance manner. He believes this gives most people a sense of accomplishment and keeps their motivation higher.)

She hadn’t realized there was more magic at first, but had noticed this envelope in the mail from one of the Fairy Dust Maker “V” (Visa), earlier in the day. She had received the same kind of envelope from this company before, so it was no mystery what was inside. (blank checks connected to my account, intended for balance transfers. Usually this also meant a promo offer for a ZERO interest for a set period of time OR an extremely, lower interest for an assigned time. What was a conundrum, was why they were sending them to me. I had recently taken advantage of an offer to transfer a balance with zero interest and there wasn’t much room left for anymore transfers. Well not that I knew of, anyway.)

THE FOOLISHNESS CONTINUES…..

After looking online at balances, I update my spreadsheet. I open the envelope and find that the promo offer was 1.99% interest for an allocated time, which turned out to be longer than 1 year. So this was, in fact, a great deal with the excessive rates that I was currently paying.

Now back to Tinkerbell spreading some magic to John Darling. She sees that she can transfer the magic from Fairy Dust Maker “MC” (MasterCard), liberate “V”, so John can obtain the things needed for the Darling household. Now a side note: the plan was for John Darling to give Tinkerbell all of the fairy dust that he used, to put back in her bag in a timely manner. So theoretically, Tinkerbell wouldn’t lose any of her fairy dust, in the long term. In essence John is only borrowing it AND is going to put it back, and be responsible for any interest incurred. This isn’t a huge issue, since Tinkerbell knows exactly where John Darling lives and even has access to his incoming future fairy dust.

Moving on; in my haste of trying to “figure it all out” to help my “favorite Darling”, I wind up transferring……….

wait for it…………

literally the lowest interest card! (*insert face palm)

Instead of taking a little bit of time, processing, and processing some more, yes I did! I didn’t even realize it until I had already completed the task! Right there in front of me, on the spreadsheet was the highest interest card and the available balance that needed to be transferred was under the allotted amount. (*insert another face palm, because we all know it is warranted!).

Now this wouldn’t have helped the favorite Darling, but it definitely would have helped Tinkerbell in the quest to fill up the fairy dust bags! And we all know that any amazing fairy, knows better!

So I wrote recently about working on a new budget. When I changed my lifestyle and implemented keto. As time went on, there were days that seemed to be a struggle. Seemingly, extended periods of zero weight loss. I had to remind myself that I was sure I didn’t gain a bunch of weight overnight. Let’s be honest, no one goes to bed 129lbs (while I have been a bit smaller in my life, this is most likely my BMI ideal weight) and wakes up the next day at 193lbs (sadly, my topped out number).

The same can be said for a budget. When I became a nurse, the money was sure much better than when I had been a manager in retail, a hotel auditor, or a pharmacy tech (this was the job I had right before entering nursing school and barely made over minimum wage). I had secured my first nursing job right before graduation and as soon as my degree was in hand, my hourly wage went up by almost double.

I had to agree to work weekend option and night shift to obtain the highest rate of pay, which then was 12.50hr base, with a .75hr increase for night shift and another 1.25hr for working all weekends. This catapulted my total earnings to $14.50hr. WOO HOO!

Nursing has come much farther than when I was a graduate, in wages as well as every other aspect. I don’t know any graduate that would even consider nursing school, if that were the case. So back to the budget.

When I made minimum wage, we lived on those earnings. As I progressed into nursing and started earning a better wage, our lifestyle gradually changed, along with our overall spending. Sadly, so many people fall into this pattern and don’t address the habits that got them into debt in the first place. Then they find themselves more and more living the life they didn’t intend.

Oh and how the credit card companies love us! They find that you’re now making more money! What happens when you’re in college? Viola! Credit card companies come out of the woodwork offering you there credit card and oh how we think we need them. We are like – ooooooo! Look what I can buy! It makes me think of the Toy Aliens in the Toy Story movie, we are all intrigued and debt is the claw!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against having a credit card. Nor am I completely against using them. I am, however, opposed to carrying balances. I am also going to confess that I have been carrying balances and it is one of the dumbest things on the planet to ever do! It is a financial disaster!

I love to give! It is something that shoots off LOTS of endorphins in me! So think about this with me, all of the stupid interest being paid, I could be using to give to people in need, for wherever I deem fit. But no! By my own ignorance (I say ignorance because I didn’t truly grasp all of what I do now), it is flying out in the wind. Well not really in the wind, because again, the credit card companies love us. And hey, let’s face it, they are a business and they want/need to make money.

Today I am reminding myself, that just like I didn’t gain weight overnight and didn’t lose it overnight either, it was a process that I had to trust. Creating budgets and determination to get out of debt is a process that I have to trust.

No, this is not an “April Fool’s” joke. I just want to give a shout out to Dave Ramsey for all the wonderful things he has taught people and helped countless many to get out of debt, but budgets suck! I hate them, or should I say I have a love/hate relationship with making a budget.

I don’t really want to make one, I just want the money to magically appear ready for any bill that I may have that comes due. I was listening to someone the other day, talk about how budgets don’t work. I’m not sure I would go that far, but…..

Back to my love/hate relationship, I love it, when I have the money to pay the bills, but I despise having to sit around and talk about them. I just want them to be on autopilot.

Then there is the idea of autodraft, but I don’t feel like that works for me either. I don’t want to forget about something and then have something else bounce.

I have another thought, one that I have implemented somewhat, but intend to get more specific with it. I was reading a blog about this couple that has SEVERAL bank accounts. Then I had also watched a podcast from a different couple that was doing the same sort of thing. They use them for their budget, like Dave Ramsey talks about the envelope system.

They have an account for bills, an account for groceries, one for saving for new living room furniture, etc. So I decided, “why not?” I’m going to try something like this…….